Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a consumer?
2. What is a CALD consumer?
3. What is a CALD consumer reference group?

What is a consumer?

A consumer is "a person using, who has used or will use a mental health service" Source: Reality Check MMHA 2004

CALD stands for culturally and linguistically diverse background. CALD refers to the "wide range of cultural groups that make up the Australian population and Australian communities. It includes groups who differ according to their religion, race, language or ethnicity. Source: Reality Check, MMHA 2004

CALD stands for culturally and linguistically diverse background. CALD refers to the "wide range of cultural groups that make up the Australian population and Australian communities. It includes groups who differ according to their religion, race, language or ethnicity. Source: Reality Check, MMHA 2004

Therefore a CALD consumer is somebody who identifies himself or herself as coming from a distinct cultural group different to the Anglo Celtic Culture either through ancestry or being born in another country and having a mental illness or disorder.

What is a CALD Consumer Reference Group?

A Consumer Reference Group has a specific purpose. It is a group of people who identify as having a mental illness and who are proactive in providing consumer input and advice into organisations or government's processes. A Consumer Reference Group ensures the needs of the consumers are identified, prioritised and met by the relevant government bodies/organisations/services.

Consumer Reference Groups typically have rules called Terms of Reference where they define their roles, responsibilities, aims objectives, purposes, frequency of meetings etc. These rules are usually designed and agreed upon by the group members.

Although remuneration is an important part of the process as it values consumer participation, sometimes there is no organisation to align with, and people come together and volunteer their time and contributions for the common good of their cause. When a Reference Group is formed to provide advice to a particular agency, rumuneration may be provided, and it is usually determined by the organisation and based on rates afforded by the organisation and/or are commonly used by similar agencies.

A CALD Consumer Reference Group will have specific criteria to match the characteristics of the group, in this case the group will be multicultural, its members consisting only of consumers from CALD backgrounds and its Terms of Reference will have specific objectives that apply to CALD consumers and CALD communities only.